Romans 9:30-10:4

Well, good morning. Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in Romans chapter 9.

Romans 9 · chapter mention

It's very good to be here with you this morning, opening God's Word together as we continue our verse-by-verse exposition of Paul's letter to the Romans.

Good teachers build cases, laying one truth on top of the next, leading from point to point to aid their hearer's arrival at the truth they intend to present.

Paul, being carried along by the Holy Spirit, is a good teacher.

He has been building the case that we are justified by grace alone through faith alone in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ alone.

In chapter 1, verse 16 and 17, he states his thesis for the entirety of this letter.

There he says,

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For in it, that is the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith.

As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.

The rest of this letter is expounding on what is found in those two verses.

He goes on to explain that whether or not a person has God's standard in writing, they have it written on their hearts.

Which leaves all mankind guilty on the day of God's judgment, for we have all willingly transgressed the standard.

Paul states this most clearly in chapter 3, verse 10 and following as he cites the Old Testament.

None is righteous.

No, not one.

No one understands.

No one seeks for God.

All have turned aside.

Together, they have become worthless.

No one does good.

Not even one.

Their throat is an open grave.

They use their tongues to deceive.

The venom of asps is under their lips.

Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.

Their feet are swift to shed blood.

In their paths are ruin and misery.

And the way of peace they have not known.

There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Beloved, this includes us.

Having established that all mankind is guilty before God, he then unpacks justification.

Justification is a declaration that one is righteous.

That is, never committed a sin and has perfectly kept all that's required of them.

And he unpacks that this is through faith alone.

Having been justified by faith, Paul teaches us that we continue by faith, having been set free from the enslaving power of sin.

He then roots comfort for our continued struggle with sin in this life in God's sovereign election, calling, justifying, and glorifying work.

We see this in chapter 8.

We find him in chapters 9 through 11 now, working out the implications of God's elective purposes for those who will not be saved.

Particularly, his concern is for the Jewish people.

Clay very helpfully worked us through the majority of chapter 9 over the past three weeks.

Which begins, this is chapter 9 and verse 1.

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

Paul says,

I am speaking the truth in Christ.

I am not lying.

My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

This is in response to all he has said about God's elective purpose.

Which is a comfort for those who are in Christ.

But then he turns quickly with this anguish and sorrow.

Verse 3 tells us why.

For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen, according to the flesh.

And he's talking there about the Jewish people who had largely rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We see a continuation of this sentiment in today's text.

Which is Romans chapter 9, verse 30, through chapter 10, and verse 4.

Romans 9:30

And in verse 1, he says this.

This is 1 of chapter 10.

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

While Paul loves deeply the doctrine of sovereign election, as he should and as we should,

this doctrine does not make him cold to those who will not repent and believe in Christ.

We will see this morning that God's choosing of a people for his praise does not exclude the responsibility of people

to respond in faith to the saving work of the gospel.

And this is where he turns his attention now.

Much of our consideration in the coming weeks will be concerning the nation of Israel.

But let us not merely think this morning that we are speaking of some distant others

and that the warnings here aren't also for us.

So, good teachers build cases.

Good teachers also anticipate and answer objections.

Paul being carried along by the Holy Spirit is a good teacher.

And he anticipates another objection at the end of chapter 9.

Let's read this text together.

Romans 9, verse 30, through 10, verse 4.

Romans 9:30

We remind you before we do, beloved, that this is God's word to us,

written for his glory and our good.

And so, we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.

Paul writes,

What shall we say then?

That Gentiles who do not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith?

But that Israel, who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness, did not succeed in reaching that law?

Why?

Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works.

They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,

Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

And whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

For being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own,

they did not submit to God's righteousness.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Now, in Romans chapter 9, verses 23 through 26,

Romans 9:23–26

Paul speaks of God making known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy,

which he has prepared beforehand for glory.

Even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles.

As indeed he says in Hosea,

Those who were not my people I will call my people,

and her who was not beloved I will call beloved.

And in the very place it was said to them,

You are not my people, there they will be called sons of the living God.

God, God, beforehand, in his sovereign election,

has called a people for his praise from every tribe, nation, and tongue.

All peoples, when you see this Jew and Gentile,

he's talking about the whole world.

It is to that declaration that Paul anticipates the objection found

in verse 30 through 32 right at the beginning.

Please know that both the chapter and verse breaks in a text are not inspired.

Sometimes I just disagree with where they put the breaks,

so I take the liberty to break it up myself.

So, see again, what shall we say then?

That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it.

That is a righteousness that is by faith.

So, those who didn't have the law and weren't seeking to obey God in any measure at all,

they have obtained righteousness.

But that Israel, verse 31,

who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness,

did not succeed in reaching that law.

And in the beginning of verse 32,

why?

How is this possible?

That Gentiles who did not pursue,

and Israel who did pursue,

are blessed differently.

This would have been a significant objection in the Jewish mind.

To show you just how deeply fixed the idea

that God only intended his saving work amongst Israelites,

I want to read to you an episode from the life of Christ,

which I think you'll do well to turn to with me,

found in Luke chapter 4.

Luke 4 · chapter mention

So, if you could join me there.

Again, how deeply fixed this idea was in the Jewish mind.

God only intended his saving work for them.

That was the idea that was prevalent in the day.

This is Luke 4, beginning in verse 16.

And Jesus came to Nazareth,

where he had been brought up, his hometown.

And as was his custom,

he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day,

and he stood up to read.

And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.

He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.

And the eyes of all the synagogue were fixed on him.

And he began to say to them,

Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

He's saying,

I'm that one.

And all spoke well of him

and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth.

And they said,

Is not this Joseph's son?

And he said to them,

anticipating the next things they'll say,

Doubtless you will quote me this proverb,

Physician, heal yourself.

What we have heard you did at Capernaum,

do here in your hometown as well.

They asked him to perform miracles.

And he said,

Truly I say to you,

no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

But in truth I tell you,

there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah,

when the heavens were shut up three years and six months,

and a great famine came over all the land.

And Elijah was sent to none of them,

but only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon,

to a woman who was a widow.

And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha,

and none of them was cleansed,

but only Naaman the Syrian.

When they heard these things,

all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.

And they rose up and drove him out of the town

and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built,

so that they could throw him down the cliff.

But passing through their midst,

he went away.

Now, what happens between verse 22,

and all who spoke well of him

and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth,

and verse 28,

when they heard these things,

all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.

Simply this.

Jesus pointed out two times

that God's mercy passed over Israelites

and was extended to Gentiles.

A Sidonite widow named Zarephath

and a Syrian leper named Naaman.

This is from their own scripture.

The Jews of Jesus and Paul's day

were so conditioned that God's favor had to do

with their lineage and their law-keeping

that they couldn't even entertain the idea

from their own holy text

that God would be gracious outside ethnic boundaries

and they considered Jesus a heretic and worthy of death.

That's how deep-set this type of thinking was.

Paul answers this objection.

You can join me back in Romans.

By pointing out the error of Israel,

I, as Paul does here,

am speaking in generalities.

So praise God that many Jewish people

have and will place saving faith in Jesus Christ.

We're going to explore some of this in chapter 11.

But Paul's concern in this text

and our concern for today

is the broad rejection of justification

by grace alone,

through faith alone,

in the person and completed work

of Jesus Christ alone.

Paul in his day is seeing this broad...

And beloved, we live in a place

that people should know better.

God's word abounds in the place

in which we live.

And yet, there is a broad rejection

of justification by grace alone,

through faith alone,

in Christ alone.

So let's look at Paul's argument

by framing it with the following three points.

Number one, Israel's ignorance

of the purpose of the law.

Number two, Israel's ignorance

of the point of the scripture.

And number three, Israel's ignorance

of the person of God.

So number one, Israel's ignorance

of the purpose of the law.

And we see this in chapter 9

in the rest of verse 32.

He asks the question, why?

Why?

And he says,

because they did not pursue it,

that is the law,

pursue it by faith,

but as if it were based on works.

Notice Paul says that the law,

the righteousness contained within,

believing that somehow

the pursuit of it would be saving.

We live in a glorious day

that we understand how it is

that the law is fulfilled by faith.

They didn't quite understood,

saw things as a shadow,

as a glimpse of what would come,

but it was to be pursued,

nonetheless, by faith.

Paul has established already

that no one has kept God's law perfectly,

and that the righteous requirement

of the law is its perfect keeping.

So what was to be done

with an expectation

that could not be met?

The Jews of his day

seemed to think

that they were meeting

this expectation,

that it was not being met.

Paul asks and answers this question

for us in Galatians chapter 3.

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

Listen to what he says there,

beginning in verse 21.

He's spoken of grace,

and then he asks,

is the law then contrary

to the promises of God?

Certainly not.

For if a law had been given

that could give life,

then righteousness would indeed

be by the law.

But the Scripture imprisoned

everything under sin

so that the promise by faith

in Jesus Christ

might be given to those who believe.

Now before faith came,

we were held captive under the law,

imprisoned until the coming faith

would be revealed.

So then the law was our guardian

until Christ came

in order that we might be justified

by faith.

The law was, and is,

meant to point us to the one

who kept the law on our behalf.

We're supposed to see our failure in it,

to recognize that we have transgressed it.

Every one of us

has not kept God's law.

And a single transgression of it

deserves the curse of death.

The sinless life of Jesus Christ

is called his active obedience,

and it is a vitally important part

of the offer of the gospel

for our salvation.

He grants to us

his perfect law-keeping

through faith.

Unique in all the world

is the grace and mercy of our God

who makes a requirement

of all who will be saved

and then provides

for all that he commands.

The gospel declares

that we must be perfect

to be saved

and then grants us perfection

through faith in Christ.

This is so incredibly important

to understand.

So important

that I will not grow tired

of saying that one is justified

by grace alone,

through faith alone,

in the person

and completed work

of Jesus Christ alone.

But I will tell you,

even as I say that,

I need to say that.

I need to declare that

to the church.

I will not grow tired

of saying this

because sometimes

I am tempted

to grow tired

of saying it.

We need spines of steel

when it comes to declaring

these great truths.

The law is meant to show us

that we need God's grace

that's given to us

as a gift through faith

and that Christ accomplished

all that we need

that we might be saved.

We're confessional as a church.

We believe that it's important

to draw together

what the Bible teaches

about particular things

that we might put it

in our minds

and live accordingly.

And so we do things

like recite catechisms together.

Some of you may be familiar

with the New City Catechism.

It's one that we do

with our children quite often.

Question and answer 15 says this,

Since no one can keep the law,

what is its purpose?

And then very succinctly stated

that we may know

the holy nature of God

and the sinful nature

of our hearts

and thus our need of a Savior.

The law is meant

to have us looking

for some way

in which the law

will be fulfilled.

Now we live in a Western culture

and Western logic

is very linear.

I'm grateful for the New Testament.

The Greeks were very linear.

This is the heritage

that we receive

in the way that we logic

through things.

But Eastern logic

is very circular

and I don't mean that

as a cut to Eastern logic.

The Old Testament

being written in Hebrew

has a much more

circular logic to it.

That is,

the Old Testament says,

not this,

not this,

not this,

not this,

not this.

And it's leading us to,

well then what?

Well then,

what?

And we're supposed

to arrive

at this realization

that the Messiah

is this one,

Jesus Christ.

And the New Testament

unfolds

all of that

for us.

Israel was

ignorant

ignorant

of the purpose

of the law.

They thought

that by keeping it,

by some measure,

they could gain

God's favor.

All kinds of people

think this way

today.

They want to put

their works

on a scale.

The good

versus the bad

and they hope

that the one

outweighs

the other.

If you ask

the average person

if they'll go to heaven,

they'll say,

well,

I think so

because I think

I'm a good

person.

And the gospel

says,

Romans says,

no,

you're not.

You do not

deserve heaven.

You do not

deserve restored

relationship

with God.

But,

and that's such

an important

conjunction,

God,

because He's

gracious

and He is

merciful,

has made a way

by grace alone

through faith alone

in the person

and completed

work of Jesus

Christ alone.

It could be said

we are saved

by works,

but not our own,

the works

of another,

the work of Christ.

Secondly,

notice Israel's

ignorance

of the point

of the Scripture.

Notice this

in chapter 9,

the very end

of verse 32

and into verse 33.

There Paul says,

they have stumbled

over the stumbling stone.

As it is written,

behold,

I am laying in Zion

a stone of stumbling

and a rock of offense

and whoever believes

in Him

will not

be put to shame.

Now,

what he's explaining

is what he has

just said.

Right?

He's helping us

to understand

this is according

to the Scripture.

Right?

And we see

God's elective purpose

in this.

They've stumbled

over Christ.

Rather than

laying Him

as the foundation

for their hope

of the future,

they have stumbled

over Him.

But,

I say this,

Israel's ignorant

of the point

of Scripture

because the Jewish

people had the Bible

of their day,

the Old Testament,

and would have known

what God had said

to the prophet Isaiah,

which is the citation

found here

in verse 33.

It's a bringing together

of a number of texts

from Isaiah.

Isaiah.

All of the Scripture

is meant to lead us

to Christ.

And you will not

be able to plead

ignorance

on the day of judgment.

We can read

of another episode

in Jesus' life,

this time

after His resurrection

in Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

There we see recorded

that very day

two disciples

were going to a village

named Emmaus,

about seven miles

from Jerusalem.

And they were talking

with each other

about all these things

that had happened

while they were talking

and discussing together.

Jesus Himself drew near

and went with Him,

but their eyes were kept

from recognizing Him.

And He said to them,

What is this conversation

that you are holding

with each other

as you walk?

And they stood still

looking sad.

Then one of them,

named Cleopas,

answered Him,

Are you the only visitor

to Jerusalem

who does not know

the things that have

happened there

in these days?

And He said to them,

What things?

And they said to Him,

concerning Jesus of Nazareth,

a man who was a prophet,

mighty in deed

and word before God

and all the people,

and how our chief priests

and rulers delivered Him

up to be condemned to death

and crucified Him.

But we had hoped

that He was the one

to redeem Israel.

Yes, and besides all this,

it is now the third day

since these things happened.

Moreover,

some women of our company

amazed us.

They were at the tomb

early in the morning,

and when they did not

find His body,

they came back saying

that they had even seen

a vision of angels

who said that He was alive.

Some of those

who were with us

went to the tomb

and found it just

as the women had said,

but Him they did not see.

And He said to them,

O foolish ones,

and slow of heart

to believe all

that the prophets

have spoken.

Was it not necessary

that the Christ

should suffer these things

and enter into His glory?

And before I read

the last verse

I intend to read

from Luke 24,

I just want to say

between this episode

and the transfiguration,

there's debate in my mind

which I would have

rather been at.

Verse 27 says,

And beginning with Moses

and all the prophets,

He interpreted to them

in all the scriptures

the things concerning Himself.

Notice that they are

weak of heart.

They stood,

they are sad,

they are not so sure

about the resurrection.

He calls them foolish

and slow of heart

to believe

and then He takes them

to the text

and He walks them

through the Old Testament

showing them

that He is in fact

the Christ.

God will hold you accountable

to what can be seen

of Him

and His saving work

through Christ

in this precious text.

You will be accountable

on that day.

He has spoken,

you and I do well

to listen.

May Christ for us

not be a rock

that has stumbled over

but the sure foundation

of our deliverance.

I am grateful

to be part

of a Christian tradition

that takes

the Bible seriously

and to help

pastor a church

that takes

the Bible seriously

but we must know

that a constant

nagging temptation

for those who reverence

God's Word

and see good

in His commands

is to drift off

into legalism.

To begin thinking

once again

that we could ever

have that same purpose.

We can lose sight

that people are saved

by grace alone

through faith alone

in Christ alone.

Jesus condemns

the Pharisees

who were the legalists

of His day

for this very thing.

Listen to the indictment

of John chapter 5

John 5:39

verse 39 and 40.

There He says,

You search the Scriptures

because you think

that in them

you have eternal life

and it is they

that bear witness

about Me

that you refuse

to come to Me

that you may have life.

You seek to follow

the rules from the text

and yet those rules

are supposed to show you

your need of Me

that you would come

and believe

in the Gospel.

Thirdly,

notice Israel's

ignorance

of the person

of God.

So we jump down

into chapter 10 now

verses 2 through 4.

I bear them witness.

He desires

that they would be saved

because I bear witness

they have a zeal

for God.

They're energetic

toward God

but not

according to knowledge.

The Jewish people

had made a God

of their own invention

and they weren't

coming to Him

on His

terms.

For

being ignorant

of the righteousness

of God

or of

God's righteousness

and seeking

to establish

their own

they did not

submit

to God's righteousness

for Christ

is the end

of the law

for righteousness

to everyone

who believes.

They had failed

to see

that God

is

the standard

that His

righteousness

has been

explained to us

in the law

and therefore

their zeal

was not

according

to knowledge.

Notice

Isaiah chapter 6

Isaiah 6 · chapter mention

I'm thankful

Ernie referenced

this in his

prayer of praise

this morning.

Isaiah

sees a vision

of holy God.

In the year

that King Uzziah

died I saw

the Lord

sitting upon

a throne

high and lifted up

and the train

of His robe

filled the temple.

Above Him

stood the seraphim

each had six

wings which two

He covered His face

and with two

He covered His feet

and with two

He flew.

And one called

to another

and said

holy

holy

holy

holy

that three

time repetition

means perfectly

righteous

righteous

righteous

is the Lord

of hosts

the whole

earth

is full

of His glory

and the foundations

of the threshold

shook at the voice

of Him

who called

and the house

was filled

with smoke.

And here is

Isaiah's response.

This is zeal for God

according to

knowledge.

He says

woe is me

for I am lost

for I am a man

of unclean lips

and I dwell

in the midst

of a people

of unclean lips

for my eyes

have seen

the King

the Lord

of hosts.

What is

wrought in Him

by this vision

of God's holiness

is humility.

Worship

according

to knowledge.

He sees

His need

of cleanliness

to be made

clean.

And if you read

on in Isaiah

He is

and He is sent

He is commissioned

by God

to be a messenger

of the good news

of Christ.

Isaiah

more than any other

prophet speaks

of the coming

Messiah.

So note that response

right?

A zeal for God

begins

with this

humility.

Another place

that we can witness

this

is Luke

Luke 18 · chapter mention

chapter 18

this is

verse 9

and following

Jesus tells

a parable

to some

who trusted

in themselves

that they were

righteous

and treated

others

with contempt.

Two men

went up

into the temple

to pray

one a Pharisee

and the other

a tax collector.

The Pharisee

standing by

himself

prayed

thus.

Look how

contradictory

this is

to the

response

of Isaiah.

God I

thank you

that I

am not

like other

men

extortioners

unjust

adulterers

or even

like this

tax collector.

I fast

twice a week

I give

tithes

of all

that I

get.

But the

tax collector

standing

far off

will not

even lift

up his

eyes to

heaven

but beat

his breast

saying

God

be merciful

to me

a sinner.

And then

Jesus says

I tell you

this man

went down

to his

house

justified

rather than

the other.

For everyone

who exalts

himself

will be

humbled

but the

one who

humbles

himself

will be

exalted.

In this

parable

the tax

selector

comes

by grace

alone

through

faith

alone

in

Christ

alone.

The

Pharisee

comes

on his

own

merit

and is

not

justified.

Again

speaking of

these

Pharisees

and I'm

driving at

this because

I think

there's

such a

danger

of that

for us.

Matthew

Matthew 23:27

chapter

23

verse

27

and 28

Jesus

says

woe

to you

scribes

and

Pharisees

hypocrites

for you

are like

whitewashed

tombs

which

outwardly

appear

beautiful

but within

are full

of dead

people's

bones

and all

uncluenliness

so you

also

outwardly

appear

righteous

to others

but within

you are

full

of hypocrisy

and lawlessness

so if we

are to go

to God

if we

have a

zeal

for God

which I

commend

it must

be

according

to knowledge

we must

come to

him

on his

terms

we must

recognize

that we

have

nothing

to offer

to our

salvation

but humility

of heart

and the

faith

that he

gifts

so an

application

for closing

if you

have yet

to place

saving

faith

in Jesus

Christ

maybe this

morning you

find yourself

trusting in

your own

works

it resonated

with you

when I said

people put

things on a

scale and

hope that

they have

been good

enough

this text

teaches that

if you will

cease laboring

to justify

yourself

and rather

place all

of your

hope in

the personal

work of

Jesus Christ

then you

will be

saved from

the eternal

consequence

of your

sin

you will

not be

put to

shame

if you

trust

in Christ

if you

have placed

saving

faith in

Jesus Christ

church

this text

teaches both

the sovereignty

of God

and salvation

and the

human

responsibility

to believe

the gospel

both things

are being

taught right

here in

this text

the sovereignty

of God

and salvation

his eternal

purpose of

election

and the

human

responsibility

to believe

the gospel

both truths

are to be

believed

they are

important for

us

otherwise

they would

not be

taught

Charles

Spurgeon

once said

this is on

the back

of your

bulletin

it's the

same historic

quotation

found there

last week

but Clay

didn't reference

it

and so

it's just

too good

not to

read it

so I

left it

in place

he said

this

two truths

cannot be

contradictory

to each

other

two truths

cannot be

contradictory

to each

other

if then

I find

taught

in one

place

that

everything

is

foreordained

that is

true

and if

I find

in another

place

that man

is responsible

for all

his actions

that

is true

both

things are

taught in

scripture

and it

is my

folly

that leads

me to

imagine

that two

truths

can ever

contradict

each other

we sometimes

feel that

right

it feels

contradictory

to me

but that's

my

that's my

folly

not the

truth

proclaimed

so both

truths are

to be

believed

and finally

this text

teaches

that there

is a

way

to be

saved

praise

god

we don't

have to

stay

in our

sin

there's a

way to

be saved

by grace

alone

through faith

alone

in the

person

and completed

work of

Jesus

Christ

alone

so we

must

maintain

this

truth

and we

must

proclaim

it

boldly

I told

you at

the outset

of our

study of

Romans

that

a

reason

we

determined

to

study

this

text

is to

remind

us

of

the

hill

that

we

are

meant

to

die

upon

there

seems

to be

so

many

lesser

truths

being

challenged

and

debated

as

distractions

from the

gospel

of

Jesus

Christ

may we

not get

confused

between

the

gospel

and

gospel

implications

we

need

to

stand

shoulder

to

shoulder

arm

in

arm

on the

hill

of

justification

by grace

alone

through faith

alone

in the

person

and

completed

work

of

Jesus

Christ

alone

let's

pray

together

as